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Football is back
Another reason I love Fall is that FOOTBALL is back!!! Now, my brother-in-law is a HUGE University of Nebraska fan (I’m sorry, bro!), and Kyle went to Purdue during the ‘Drew Brees’ era – and even saw him once in the cafeteria while eating lunch! I will occasionally watch a college football game, but Kyle & I decided that we could should only spend 1 of the 2 weekend days watching football.
So we bagged college football and made Saturdays our project / errand / social commitment day. I’ll still cheer for any Big Ten team over another opponent, but they always seem to disappoint in the playoffs … ugh!
Sundays are our Sabbath
sab·bath
/ˈsabəTH/noun – a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jewish people from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.
From Google
Kyle & I met each other at our church in Indianapolis. We started dating and eventually got married at the same church, and going to church on Sundays is still a priority for us. There would be times when work would get hectic, and I used Sundays after church to ‘catch-up’ a bit … but for the most part, Sundays would be our day of worship and rest.
Professional NFL Football games on Sunday afternoons and evenings was one way that we could relax and chill out. We were both in separate Fantasy Football leagues, so sometimes we wouldn’t be so relaxed and chilled after the games … 😅
Family of Nuts – Sports Nuts, That Is
I grew up playing and watching sports. My family is quite competitive and full of sports nuts. My brother is extremely busy with his job, but still finds time to know every single fact about nearly every single sporting story. And it’s not just the men in our family – my sister is an incredible athlete and took her high school volleyball team to the State championships! I also played volleyball and singles tennis in high school.
Go Colts
While I love watching nearly any sport, NFL professional football is my favorite, and the Indianapolis Colts is my team. This was absolutely fueled by the fact that Peyton Manning joined the Colts in 1998, around the time that I moved to Indy for college!
After Kyle & I were married in 2003, Peyton was in his prime and orchestrating comebacks like none other! We could be down by 3 scores, have almost no time left, and still come back to win, watch Manning Leads 21 Point Comeback in 4 Minutes.
Of course, there were times when things didn’t work out so well for the Colts, watch The Game That Started the Brady/Manning Rivalry! (Patriots vs. Colts 2003, Week 13). It may have been after that game – but I know it was definitely after the Steelers vs Colts 2005 AFC Divisional game that I actually CRIED when the Colts lost. It was my outlet for the Sunday blues … but still crying over football?!?
Are you ready for some football?
In case you weren’t aware, the NFL season starts tomorrow with the Buffalo Bills taking on the defending Super Bowl Champs the Los Angeles Rams. While I’d like to think that I’ve matured over time and I no longer cry after games, please just wait to talk to me until Monday if the Colts don’t win …
Especially since I don’t have my cuddle bug to comfort me!
2022 NFL Kickoff Guide
Excerpt below taken from NFL Communications website:
The NFL returns for the 2022 season as Kickoff Weekend signals the start of a 272-game journey, one that promises hope for each of the league’s 32 teams as they set their sights on Super Bowl LVII, which will be played on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
2021 was one of the most competitive seasons in league annals and was the first year of an enhanced season structure which featured each team playing 17 regular-season games. The 2022 season will be filled with memorable moments, as young players emerge, familiar faces continue their climb up the record books and teams vie to make their mark in the postseason. Every team enters the season with hope and a trip to Arizona for Super Bowl LVII in mind. Below are a few reasons why:
- Eighteen teams remained in Super Bowl contention on the final day of the 2021 regular season, tied for the most such teams since 2006 (20).
- Four teams clinched a division title after not winning their division last year (Cincinnati, Dallas, the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay) and at least two teams have won their divisions the season after missing the playoffs in 18 of the past 19 years.
- Cincinnati clinched the AFC North after finishing in last place in the division in 2020 and in 17 of the past 19 seasons, at least one team finished in first place in their division the season after finishing in last or tied for last.
- Seven teams clinched playoff berths after missing the postseason in 2020 (Arizona, Cincinnati, Dallas, Las Vegas, New England, Philadelphia and San Francisco) and since 1990 – a streak of 32 consecutive seasons – at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.
- There were 21 overtime games last season, including three in Week 18 which featured teams winning in overtime to qualify for the postseason (Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and San Francisco), marking the first time since 1993 that multiple playoff teams won in overtime in the final week of the season.
The competitiveness of the 2021 regular season fed into one of the most exciting and dramatic postseasons to date.
- The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI and for a 17th consecutive season, the NFL has a new Super Bowl champion, extending the longest streak without a repeat winner in league history. Only eight teams have repeated as champions since the first Super Bowl in 1967, with the 2004 Patriots (Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX) being the last team to accomplish the feat. It also marked the second-consecutive season in which a team won the Super Bowl in their home stadium, after Tampa Bay also did so in Super Bowl LV.
- From the Divisional Playoffs through Super Bowl LVI, six of the seven games were decided by exactly three points. The only game that wasn’t was Kansas City and Buffalo in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, which was decided by an overtime touchdown.
- The total margin of victory across the final seven playoff games (Super Bowl LVI, Conference Championship and Divisional Playoffs) was 24 points (3.4 points per game).
Among the many notable accomplishments players and coaches can achieve during the 2022 season …
- Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY (84,520 passing yards and 624 touchdown passes) enters the 2022 season as the league’s all-time regular-season leader in both categories and can become the first player in NFL history with 100,000 career passing yards, including the postseason.
- Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS, who ranks fifth all-time in touchdown passes (449) and 10th in passing yards (55,360), can become the first player ever to win three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards.
- Indianapolis quarterback MATT RYAN (59,735 passing yards and 367 touchdown passes) can become the eighth quarterback ever with 60,000 passing yards and ninth quarterback all-time with 400 touchdown passes.
Read more on the 2022 NFL season. And for the 2022 NFL Kickoff Guide, click here.
Wow! Now, I’m excited for another season!
Are YOU ready for some football?
Do you enjoy watching sports? Do you get upset when your team doesn’t win? If not, how? Why? Please share your wisdom in the comments below – clearly I need help!!! Go Colts!
– Kara from Zeke Life
Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!
#WagYourTail Wednesday
What’s “Wag Your Tail” Wednesday? It’s when I highlight things I love so much that if I was Zeke, I’d have a helicopter tail! Almost as good as meeting a chipmunk for the 1st time!
